HONEY, Love Me One More Time

Chapter 20: Call Me At Any Time

What have I been doing all these years? I tried to please a man who hated me to the core and wanted to get him back but neglected my dear mother. Mom has been ill-treated for a long time, but I didn’t even know that! Does Cristofer know about Mom’s condition? Maybe he does. But even if he knows that he will pretend that he doesn’t know. After all, he takes my family as his enemy who killed his parents. He will be happy to see my mother and me live a miserable life and die. When Estelle was lost in thought, the doctor said, “Your mother needs to be hospitalized. You may go to the Billing Section first. It’s on the first floor.” Estelle nodded, asked Aurora to have a rest, and then went to the Billing Section. **** “Miss, the total is six hundred dollars,” The staff at the Billing Section said. “Okay.” Estelle took out a bank card from her wallet and handed it to the staff. But soon, the card was handed back to her. “Miss, the money in your card seems to be frozen. Would you please pay in other ways or by another card?” Was her money frozen? Estelle was confused. Then she took out another card to pay the bill. “Miss, the money in this card seems to have been frozen too.” “Sorry. Please try this one.” Estelle took out a third card and said. The staff tried again, but the result was the same. “Your account is frozen. Miss, you’d better call your family to come and pay the bill as soon as possible. After all, the treatment can’t be delayed.” Estelle smiled bitterly. Now Uncle York is in charge of the Hudson family, and only he can freeze my account. It must be Gretchen who asked him to freeze my account to take revenge on me. I showed a bad attitude to her just now, so she vents her anger in this way. What a despicable and vicious woman! How can I get enough money to pay the bill now? Estelle sighed and looked through the contacts list on her mobile phone. Almost all her former

friends alienated her because of the decline of her family. Besides, in the past few years, she had taken getting Cristofer back as the priority and neglected her good friends, so she had lost contact with them. Thinking that she had no one to turn to, Estelle felt depressed. “Estelle?” Suddenly, a voice interrupted her train of thought. It took Estelle quite a while to recognize the young and beautiful girl in front of her. But she was still not sure. Then she asked, “Are you... Rebecca?” “Yes, it’s me!” Rebecca said happily and smoothed her long chestnut hair. “What are you doing here, Estelle? Are you ill? Well, you don’t look well.” Estelle forced a smile and said, “No. My mother is sick so I took her here to see a doctor. Rebecca, you look different. You’ve changed a lot.” Speaking of this, Rebecca said shyly, “Yes, I was fat when we were at college, and the others often laughed at me and bullied me. And it was you who always protected me. By the way, have you been married to Cristofer?” “Yes, we’re married,” Estelle gently said. And we are going to get divorced… Thinking about what had happened these years, Estelle had mixed feelings. Rebecca was very happy when hearing that. Then she said, “Back then, I envied you so much. You are so beautiful and good at studying. Besides, you were a member of the entertainment committee in our class and good at singing and dancing. Everyone in our class liked you very much. And your boyfriend was Cristofer! He’s so handsome!” Estelle smiled and then lowered her head in depression. I am no longer the happy and glamorous girl I used to be, she thought. She used to like wearing floral skirts and using colorful hair bands. She could always show a perfect image in front of others. But at this moment, she was wearing loose cotton leisurewear and looking haggard. Her makeup was smudged, and her hair was messy and dry. She looked different from before. Smiling bitterly, Estelle thought that it was a miracle that Rebecca still could recognize her.

In the past, she was like a shining star in the sky, but at present, she is like a stone in the mud. “By the way, how is your mother now? Is there anything I can do to help you?” Rebecca asked. Estelle bit her lower lip with hesitation. “Rebecca, I... I...” Seeing her hesitant look, Rebecca said gently, “Estelle, we’ve known each other for so many years, and you have helped me a lot before. If you need help, just tell me, and I will try my best to help you.” Estelle was a little embarrassed, “Could you lend me some money? I have to pay the fee for my mother’s treatment now.” “What?” Rebecca was surprised. “I remember that your family is very rich, and Cristofer is also...” Before she finished her words, Estelle interrupted her and said, “Well, Rebecca, it’s a long story. I hate to trouble you, but could you please lend me some money first?” Rebecca nodded, then generously handed a blue bank card to Estelle and said, “I see. Estelle, you must have encountered some difficulties. You can take this card first. There are three thousand dollars on this account. If it is not enough, just tell me, and I will give you more.” Estelle hesitated for a while and then took the card. After all, her pride was nothing compared to her mother’s life. “Rebecca, thank you very much. I will return the money to you as soon as possible,” She said gratefully. Rebecca hugged her and said gently, “There’s no rush, Estelle. If you hadn’t helped and protected me when I was bullied before, I would have suffered from depression. I’m grateful to you, and I’m happy that I can help you. This is my phone number. Call me at any time.” “Thank you, Rebecca.” When Estelle returned to the ward, Aurora had been sleeping on the bed and was on an intravenous drip. The dark circles around Aurora’s eyes showed that she was extremely sleepy and tired. The nurse in the ward, who saw Estelle coming, recognized her at once. Then she said in surprise, “Are you, Miss Hudson? The one who has lung cancer but insisted on giving birth to a baby?” “Shush. Miss, please keep your voice down,” Estelle immediately stopped her and said in a low

voice, motioning her not to wake Aurora up. The nurse looked at Aurora and then nodded. “Miss, may I have a minute of your time?” Estelle said to the nurse. “Sure.” The nurse then took Estelle to the nurse’s office. It was working hours, so the other nurses were not in the office.